US experts overturn the theory of "the seven-year itch of love"

The seven-year itch in love is overturned by American scientific research

The research team at the State University of New York at Stony Brook started by comparing "old couples" who had been together for 20 years with new couples who were just beginning to have a passionate relationship, to study whether love could be "eternal and long-lasting." The researchers showed the two groups of subjects photos of their loved ones and scanned their brains using magnetic resonance imaging technology. The scanned images showed that among couples who had been together for 20 years, about one in ten people quickly secreted a large amount of the chemical dopamine in their brains after seeing the photos of their loved ones. As a neurotransmitter, dopamine transmits a sense of joy and excitement, and can be called a "happy hormone." The above-mentioned chemical reaction of dopamine burst is more common in the brains of new couples.

Traditionally, love and sexual desire peak in the early stages of a relationship and then taper off. The romantic, infatuated state between lovers begins to fade within 15 months of dating and is gone after 10 years.